Assigit chr to tremont



R. D. SMITH.

CONTROL MECHANISM FUR TNSION GPERATED DEVICES.

APPucATloN man AFR` 9` 19|?. RENLwEu sEPT.1s.x9|n.

1,348,756. Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

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BAYMONT ZID. SMITH, OF ARBINGTGN', MBSACEUSTU' ILSSEHLWOSIELV TO TBEMONTPRODUCTS COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION MASSACHUSETTS.

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR TENSION-OPERATED Illllr'IClilS.

Application led April '9, 1917, Serial No. 160,876,

To all u'lwm it may concern: Y

lie it known that l, RAYMOND D. SMITH, a citizen ot' the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and Uommonwealth oflllassachusetts, have invented eertain new and useful Improvements inControl l\"leehanism :for Tension-Operated lleviees.y ot' which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates in general to iinprovements in mechanism foreffecting selectively the manually caused Vand partiallyT automatie`movements oi a tension-operated device and particularly concerns suchmechanism when used with a tension-operated devire having;- assoeiatedtherewith a manually and separately energiza-hle timingr agency forauti'nnatically governing the said automatic part of its movement ;-theacting forces and the strength of elements available in such an agency.as for instanee a common clock train, lieiimv oftentimes relativelysmall and weak as compared with the relatively heavy and i'iowertultension required Jfor automatically operatimcr the said device.

rThe broad object of the invention is to provide a eompaetly organizedcontrol mechanism for use in the above described connec- 'tion` andconsisting of few and simple parts, Wherehy manual, and alsotime-controlled, automatifn adjustment of a device adapted to he heavilytensioned for such automatic ady instment. may selectively andconveniently he had through simple and separate manual :ietuation oi"sint-able handles or other control instrnrnentalities.

Various arrangements of nief'hanism 'igor selectivelyv effecting manualand automatic control of a tension-operatod device are, of course., oldin many arts and l there Fore Wish here to point out some of thepartirular advantages which my novel improvement in such meehanismprovides.

tion. l herein show a suitable embodiment thereof. wherein a common formo oscillatory gas plug;r serves as the said tension-operated device andwherein aeloek train serves as the said timingagency Jfor,froveriflinglr antoniatic or tension-caused movement of the valve plug;and therefore l shall point out some ol" the character-istie andspeeil'ie oh- ?eets ol mv invention as exemplified in this particularembodiment thereof. althiinurh the Specification of Letters Patent.

As an illustra- HW ample 0f the principles of the inveny Patented Aug'.3, 1920.

Renewed September 16, 1919. Serial No. 324,226.

.scope ot' the invention is by no means limited to suoli preciseembodiment; as will be evidenced by the `following description andclaims.

l he invention aims to provide a more simpre. compact and inexpensivemechanism for heavily tensioning;` the operated device (e. g., fue gasvalve) and for causing the timed, automataA release thereof when sotensioned, than has heretofore been known; and a mechanism which shallinclude, among its novel and advantageous features of operation, theability, at will, by manipulation of ille usual valve-controlling handleto establish the valve permanently in open, partially opfern or closedposition in the ordinary .way and independent of the associated timingaggeney. Y

inrthor and important object of the invention is to render moreconvenient the iode ol' manual operation of the control nirehanism. andto protect the same from possible injury resulting from improperniaiiulation thereof. hy providing an arrangez :nt or' separatecontrolling handles, or the preferably one for the valve and one 'Forthe clock train1 wherein no specified senee ol' manually caused valvemovement i tive to the operative setting of the cloak l new-ssary. As aconvenient means for operai ingr the clock train, l employ, as the saidvloek-train controlling handle` the well known arrangement of aclock-driven.` com-` !Iaed eloek-Winding-an'd-setting pointer- ?iand.with positive stop means therefor, by v'liieh vthe clock train mayalways he stopped` indepemlently of the position oi other parts, in adelinite position of said pointer-hand. as Vlor instance` when thelatter points to zero on a suitably graduated dial;

My invention further provides an improved form of retaining detent forthe "alve, novelly arranged ior independent movement hetiveen the latterand said elook mechanism wherehy, when the said pointerliand isdisplaced from zero. the said detent is rendered operative to lock thevalve in. say. an open position. and under heavy tension lending toclose the same, and automatically to release the valve for elosinL. alter :i period oi time proportional to the degree of displacement olsaid pointer-hand from xero. V To further the convenience of eontrol toVthe operator and to safeguard against acei- Sri-nts, l provide, inaddition to the designed and heretofore mentioned usual means formanually actuating the valve, a conventional, ixefily mounted valveextension herein shown as a wing-nut cooperatively arranged with asuitably marked dial, plainly and positively to indicate at all timesthe true position oli' the valve; and this extension may also serve as apositive actuating means for the valve it' the clock train or mechanismlor tensioning the valve should go Wrong.

Former attempts at controlling, by clock mechanism or the like, thetension-caused movement ofavalve of such size and of simple and approvedform and gas-tight construction as herein employed, have resultedusually in modifying the said simple valve construction in order torender the' valve more easily rotatable, so that a lighter valveactuating spring may be used than would otherwise be possible, It islmovvn to those skilled in the art that, in the larger types of handoperated gas cocks as commonly employed for controllin the How ofilluminating gas, the said simple and approved construction embodies aslightly tapered, rotatable valve plug, maintained in its seat by strongaxial tension and rendered gas-tight by the use ot' a heavy or thicklubricant, and that such construction necessarily produces a strongfrictional resistance to the turning of the valve plug. In my improvedcontrol mechanism, however, the novel detent arrangement Which I employallows the use of a valve tensioning spring of any desired ma nitude,and I therefore am enabled automatically to control the movements of afirmly seated valve having the above described preferred and simpleconstruction.

Other advantageous features, including concentric arrangement of valvestem, tensioning spring, and control handle, whereby ruggedness andcompactness are effectively combined, Will become apparent. from thefollowing description and from the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing a preferred form of myimproved control mechanism as applied to a time controlled andtension-operated gas valve, here shown in closed position, the easingfor the mechanism being omitted and the valve dogplate partially brokenaway for clearness; Fig. 2 is a sectional view lookin down on the planes2-2 in Fig. 1; and ig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showingdifferent operative position of the various parts and further showingportions of the casing dials and certain operating and indicator partsassociated therewith, exterior of the casing.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals in all viewsof the drawing.

A common valve body is shown at 10 with. suitably threaded terminals 11for connecting the same in a pipe line. The usual rotative, taperedvalve plug 12 is held in its seat in said body by the spring 13 asusual, and oscillates therein to control the flow ot gas by varying therotative position oi the diametrieal opening 14 through the plug. 1nFig. 1, the opening 1-1 is shown as positioned transverse the valve bodyand therefore is out of alinement with the gas passage 15 therein sothat the valve is closed.

A dog-plate 16, having a hub 31, is rigidly pinned to the forward end orstem 1T of the valve plug, which latter is turned down at this portionto a constant diameter and carries loosely pivoted thereon and betweenthe dog-plate 16 and the valve body 10, a spacing Washer 9 and the hub18 ot' a control arm 19, provided at its end with a handle 20. A coiledribbon spring 21 at one end 22 thereof is fastened to the hub 18 and atthe other end 23 to a rearward extension 24 of the dog-plate 16, so asnormally to hold said extension 24 and the arm 19 in engagement andthereby the plug 12 and the arm 19 in delinite rotative relation, butseparable therefrom against tension in spring 21 in one relativedirection of rotation.

The arm 19 carries pivoted thereto at 8 a latch 25, formed as abell-crank lever and positioned by the spring 26, to engage at a catchformed end 27 thereof with a lock stud 28 when the arm 19 occupies theposition shown in Fig. 1. The dog-plate 16 earries pivoted thereto at 29a latch finger 30 held yieldingly against the hub 31 oi' the former by aspring 7 and provided with a rearwardly extending portion 6.

A detent lever 35 is pivoted to the trameplate 36 at the stud 3T and isnormally positioned by the spring 39 and stop lug 33, so that a spurportion 38 of said lever shall be engaged by the latch finger 30 in theopen position of the valve shown in Fig. The extrernitY 32 of detentlever 35 is extended rearwardly to lie in the trans-axial plane of a camdisk 40, as shown in Fig, 2, which disk is normally positioned so that aslot 49, in the periphery of the same, shall lie in the path of movementof said eX- tremity 32. The disk ,40 is mounted by means of its hub 41on a squared portion 42 of a clock-arbor 43. This arbor carries mountedthereon with suitable frictional tightness but so as to be relativelyrotatable thereto, the ratchet Wheel L14, and has bearings inframe-plates 45, 46 the latter of which is secured to a main supportplate 47 extending from the valve body 10.

The frame-plates 45, 46 support therebetween an ordinary clock trainconsisting of a main spring 50 connected at its inner end to the arbor43 and at its outer end to a frame post 49 and adapte-d to he wound bycounterrlockwise rotation ot the said arbor in Figs. 1 and 2, afterwhich Winding nel lov

the said spring may act slowly to drive the arbor in the reversedirection until it is returned to its original position. A pointerhand51 having two operating handles 52 for turning the arbor 43 is mountedat the extremity of the squared portion of said arbor and is adapted tobe intercepted in its clock-driven movement by a stop pin 59, shown inFig. 3. A gear 54 of suitable ratio is loosely mounted on the arbor 43to be driven in a clockwise direction only, b engagement of said ratchetwheel 44 with a pawl 53, carried by the gear 54. and pressed into suchengagement by a spring 55, all of which appears from Figs. 1, and 2 andis a Well known construction in the art. The remainder of the clockmechanism constitutes merely a train of ordinary retarding gears, one ofWhich is in mesh with the gear 54, and which are governed in theirmovements by the usual escapement lever 56, balance wheel 57, and hairspring 58.

A casing` 60 is provided to house both the valve and vloek mechanism andon the outer surface ot said casing is mounted a dial G1 for the clockpointer-hand 51 and a valve-position indicating-plate 62. The valve stem17 extends forwardly through the latter and has secured to the squaredend thereof and exterior of the casing, a wing` nut (i3 and a pointer 64carried thereby adapted to register with suitable markings on the dialfor indicating the position of the valve.

The operation or' the device is as follows: To open or close the valveas a non-automatic device, the handle 20 is elevated or depressedrespectively to swing the arm 19, and valve plug 12 in unison, throughapproximately of travel. stop-means for the arm 19 being provided, ateach limit oi its travel, by trame lugs (S5 and 66. After havingdepressed the arm to its position as in Fig. 1,

to close the valve, it becomes necessary, by linger pressure upwardly onthe operable end 6T ol the bell crank latch lever 25, to release thelatter from'engagement With the stud 28, before the valve Vcan be openedagain. Each time the valve is moved Vaway from its fully open positionthe detent lever 35 will be caused toy yield to its brokendine positionas shown in Fig. to permit the Vpassage of latch finger 30.

lf it be desired to place the valve under .tension for automatic andtime controlled olosure, the pointer-hand 51, which is normallypositioned as Vshown in Fig. 3, is manually displaced jtrom suchposition by turning the same in the direction of the arrows in Fig. ilto some such position as indicated by the broken linesin that ligure.This action rotates the cam disk 40, so that the slot li) in theperipheryy thereof no longer 'alls opposite theV rearward extension 32of the detent lever 35, and such displacement ot' the cam disk obviouslyprevents subsequent yielding of detent lever 35, until the cam disk hasbeen returned to its original position. ln a iully opened position ofthe valve, therefore, the dog-plate 16 is now f prevented [fromfollowing up the arm 19 when the latter is swung to its position'as inFig. l as normally adapted to close the valve. But tension in the spring2l is thereb v established, tendingto close the valve, and arm 1Q willbe locked in its said tensioning position by engagement ot latfjh loverwith the stud 528. The cam disk l0 and pointer-hand 5l are now slowlyrotated by the main spring 50 in a clookwlse direction until thepointer-hand 51 again assumes its position as in Fig. 3, at which pointthe said pointer-hand and thereby the clocks progress is stopped by thepin 59. The slot 4!) in am disk 40 is thus again brought to registerwith the extremity of detent lever 35 whereby yielding of the latter ispormitted to release the linger S() and permit the valve to close. Ofcourse, the time consumed in the return of the pointer-hand and to itsstopped position is proportional to the degree of original displacementtherefrom, and such time may be suitably indicated by appropriategraduation on the dial 61.

(oler-tain important and novel features of construction and operationwill next be noted after which the scope of the invention will moreconcisely be pointed out in the appended claims.

It will be obvious as hereinbefore stated that the pointer-hand 51 maybe set for preventing the yielding of detent lever 35, without therebeing necessary any preliminary movement of the valve or other parts topermit such setting; because of Vthe novel arrangement of detent lever35, which normally does not engage With the cam disk except whileyielding to permit the passage of the latch finger 30. In thisconnection it should he noted that in case the pointer-hand 51 bedisplaced from zero, and the detent leverV 35 thereby prevented fromyielding While the valve is in other than fully opened position,subsequent movement of the valve to such position, for being lockedtherein by the detent 35, is permitted by the yielding nature of thelatch linger 30.

The mechanical relation and coperative formation of the detent parts 6,and 38 are also such that by slight variation in the shape oi same yanydesired proportional Vamounts of the total :tension of the valve spring2l may be imposed respectively upon the pivot 29 and upon the cam disk41. Thus itV will be evident that a very powerful tension for closingthe valve may be established in the spring 21 and that such tension Vmaybe operatively opposed by a very slight pressure of the detent leverrupon the cam disk 41, so that excessive frictional resistance to theclock-caused rotation of the disk is avoided without the use oi anyadditional abutment agencies i'or less-lining' the said preshre on thecani disk.

llail, :inl truc iinlication of the position oi' th(` valve and positivecontrol thereof, is alici-ded at all times by the wing nut Gil. suchindication being of material beneiit in the conneon uses oi' a timecontrolled valve, such as in connection with a small gas water heater.Yillu-n used in this capacity, also, it is common to provide an outletin the valve body lll, i'or a ivy-pass conduit to a. pilot burnerusually situated in igniting relation to the heater burner.

ll'hile the actual clock train herein shown contains such ratio ofgearing that one complete revolution of the disk Ll0 consumesapproximately two hours, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat by suitable modification ot such ratio this time may be lcngthenedto twelve, twenty-four, or even more hours; and in this connection itshould be stated that l do not confine myself to a concentricarrangement of the disk 4() and pointer-hand 51.

Also, while the detent-controlled device and releasing mechanismtherefor is herein illustrated (with. thc device constitutingspecifically an oscillatory valve stem) as having a rotary` oscillatoryTmovement oi the said device and a rotary movement ot less than. a fullrotation ot' the controlling element therefor (that is, the clock-drivendisk), it will be obvious that the saine arrangement for controlling aheavily tensioned device may be applied to a controlled device arrangedfor progressive, but interrupted, movement by stages, and in onedirection only ;-the said device being driven by any suitable motor suchas an independently wound spring, as is common in devices adapted to beautomatically operated periodically and Similarly, the clock-driven diskmay appropriately be driven through any desired number oi' fullrotations. Further, in such an arrangcment, a plurality ot synchronouslydriven timing disks be mounted, concentrically or otherwise, andarranged each to govern a separate detent in the manner that detentlever 35, herein illustrated, is governed;-this.plurality of detentsacting successively to retain and release progressively the said devicein its rotations, thus providing a simple, time-controlled devicesecuring by a single energization oi its driving power a plurality otautomatic actions ot the device at the lapse of predetermined timeintervals.

The ready application of the simple prin ciples ci my invention to Wellknown types ot devices as above described is believed to be so obviousas not to require illustration Yand certain of the claims, therefore,are not Without attention for several days.

limited to the specific construction of a single detent lever and tolimited rotary movement of either the controlled device or of the detentcontrolling element, which parts l have herein shown in such simplei'orm only for the purpose oi illustration.

Many of the advantages which I have herein pointed out as resident in mynovelly arrangedcontrol mechanismas applied to a gas valve are ot'course entirely relevant to other possible applications of thismechanism or its equivalent, as for instance, to an electric switch orother useful device adapted to be operatively adjusted by manually andwhen desired, automatically governed mechanical movement, and Withoutthereltore limiting the scope ot my invention to the precise Ylo'rmthereof herein disclosed.

What l claim as new is:

1. The combination with a rotatable, tension-actuated device, of amanually operable, concentrically pivoted, and oscillatory, actuatingmember therefor, having abutting contact therewith and a springconnection thereto arranged yieldingly to maintain said abuttingcontact; a movable detent arranged normally to intercept said device andto yield for permitting the movement thereof; timing mechanism forgoverning said detent, operatively adjustable independently thereol',and including a reinforcing element for said detent, manually movableinto and out of an inogvierativo position, and adapted automatically tobe impclled to said position,- the said element being further arranged,only when displaced from its Said position, to inter-'cpt said detentthereby to render the latter operative to arrest said device for :ipredetermined time; and a manually retractable latch for locking saidmember rotatively displaced from said abutting contact with said devicewhen the latter is arrested by said detent, whereby tension isestablished in said spring connection for actuating said device uponrelease of the latter by said detent.

2. The combination with a movable, tension-actuated device; of aseparately movable and manually operable, actuating member therefor,having abutting contact therewith and resilient connection theretoarranged yieldingly to maintain said abutting contact; a projectioncarried by said device; a detent lever pivoted to a stationary frameportion and resiliently positioned for engagement with said projectionin a designed position of said device, and arranged yieldingly toretract about its pivot from said engagement to permit esca-pement ofsaid projection therefrom; timing mechanism for governing said detent,operatively adjustable independently thereof, and including a cam forreinforcing said detent, manually rotatable into and out of an extremeinoperative position, and adapted automatically to :be impelled to rsaidpositionJ-the said cam being formed andpositioned only when displacedfrom its said position, to obstruct the retraction" of said 'detentlever by en`Y gagement with a portion thereof, and therebyrto render thelatter operative to arrest said device for a predetermined time; and

a manually retractable latch for locking said member. displaced fromsaid abutting Contact with said device when the latter is arrested bysaid detent lever, whereby tension is established in said resilientconnection for actuating said device upon release of the latter by saiddetent.

3. Detent mechanism for automatically releasing;I a device tensioned formovement, embodying in combination with said device` and an actuatingmember therefor having resilient connection thereto whereby displacementof said member relative to said device tensions the latter for movement;a finger carried by said device and arranged yieldingly to projecttherefrom to cause interception of said device only in the direction oftension-impelled movement of the latter; a movable detent formed andnormally positioned, by engagement With said finger, yieldingly tooppose said movement of the device, and adapted normally to retract fromsaid engagement to permit said movement; means for locking said detentin its normal position, including a movable element, manuallydisplaceable from a detentreleasing position thereof independently ofthe position of said device` and automatically returnable to saidreleasing position,- the said element being further arranged only whendisplaced from its said releasing position to intercept said detentwhereby the latter is rendered operative to arrest said device for apredetermined time; and a latch to lock said member relatively displacedfrom said device when the latter is arrested by said detent.

4. The combination with a pivoted r0- tary device and means to tensionthe same for limited rotary movement of a projecting element carried bysaid device; a detent lever arranged to rock on a stationary pivotadjacent to said device; resilient means acting to rock said levertoward said device and into the path of movement of said projection, andfurther arranged normally to permit reverse yielding movement of saidlever to permit the escape of said projection therefrom When the formeris subjected to the thrust of the latter; a power-driven rotatable camhaving an indented surface formed and positioned to be free ofengagement With said lever in the normal position of the latter, saidindented surface being adapted to prevent and permit said reversemovement of said lever by obstructingand clearingr the path thereof indifferent rotative positions of said cam; whereby said lever is renderedoperative respectively to arrest and to release said device in itstension-caused movement; the position of said lever pivot relative tothe direction of thrust of said element upon said lever and thecoperative formation of the engaging portions of said element and leverbeing such that said thrust is borne in part by saidpivot but mostly bysaid cam.

5. Clock-released escapement mechanism embodying in combination with arotatable device and common means manually to actuate said device and totension said device for escapement controlled movement; a clock-drivencam mounted for limited rotation in operative proximity to said deviceand operatively adjustable independently thereof; a detent-lever, freeof connection to said device and pivoted for oscillatory movementbetween a position for intercept ing said device and a position forengagement with saidicam; resilient means arranged normally to maintainsaid lever in its former position,l and to permit devicecaused yieldingmovement thereof to its said latter position for permitting theescapement of said device therefrom,the formation of said cam being suchthat said yielding of the detent lever is obstructed during a portion ofthe cams rotation, and permitted at a designed point thereof.

6. In combination, a power-driven rotary device ;-independentlypower-driven rotating controlling means for said device; and aseparately mounted detent member operatively interposed between saidmeans and device` resilicntly positioned normally to free said means andto engage With said device, and coperatively arranged when unrestrainedto be caused to yield from engagement with said device through pressureof said device thereon ;-the said means being formed and positionedcoperatively With said detent to prevent and to permit yielding movementthereof respectively to hold and to release said device at successiverotative positions of said means.

7. In combination; an oscillatory gas valve manually adjustable forestablishment in dilferent operative positions; power means tending whenenergized automatically to re-adjust the valve to a definite operativeposition thereof; a manually adjustable timing element; separate powermeans operative when energized to impel said element to a stop-limitedposition thereof; and a detent member operatively related to said valveand arranged to be controlled by movements of said element for timingthe power-caused re-adjustment of said valve, the said valve, elementand detent member being respectively free from any positiveinterconnection and so coperatively arranged that they are mutually freeof operative constraint by one another eX- cept when said element isdisplaced from its said stop-limited position.

8. In combination, a power-driven rotary device to be controlled bysuccessively preventing and permitting rotation thereof; anindependently power-driven rotating elenient so to control said devicethrough auxiliary means operatively' interposed between said element anddevice; and said auxiliary means, ar 'anged normally to lie in therotative path ol:I said device but adapted to be retracted from saidpath by the pressure of said device thereon when otherwise unrestrainedand cooperatively arranged with said element respectively to berestrained in its normal position and to be rendered free for recessiontherefrom at different rotative positions respectively of said element.

9. ln combination, a power-driven rotary device to be controlled bysuccessively preventing and permitting rotation thereof; anindependently power-driven rotating elevment so to control said devicethrough separately mounted auxiliary means operatively interposedbetween said element and device; said auxiliary means being normallypositioned in the path oi' said device and arranged normally ree ofoperative constraint upon either' said device or said element, butfurther cooperatively arranged so that successive engagement Ianddisengage nient therewith by said element at successive rotativepositions oi" the latter renders said means operative respectively tohold and to release said device, thereby respectively to prevent and topermit rotation of the latter.

Signed in Boston, day of April, 1917.

RA YMUN D D. SMl'lH.

Massachusetts, this 2nd litnesses JAMES D. Geenen, SILvio AMonoso.

